Saint Stanislaus Institute: The First Slovene Classical Gymnasium in the Pursuit of a National and Catholic Society

This article sheds light on an important chapter in the process of full implementation of Slovene as a language of instruction and Slovene national consciousness as a societal value in the educational system on the population at the end of the nineteenth and in central focus is given on the foundation, the early stages of the twentieth century. The article focuses on the role of Bishop Anton Bonaventura Jeglič in the establishment of the Saint Stanislaus Institute, for a time where instruction and administration were conducted entirely in Slovene. In 1913, the first matura exam in Slovene was also held there, through which this language received symbolic confirmation of its significance as an independent Slavic language. The Saint Stanislaus Institute served as a central Slovene institution where talented young men would receive a high-quality education supported by Catholic values and Slovene national consciousness. The article examines the intertwining of knowledge, Catholicism and Sloveneness during the so-called culture war and illustrates the crucial role of socially active Catholic intellectuals from the priestly and lay ranks – regardless of changes in state frameworks and social conditions – in enabling the creation of new generations of socially active Catholic intellectuals.